"I... don't..."
Her lips trembled weakly.
"...feel..."
The words faded before they could be completed.
A heartbeat later, every ounce of strength left her little body.
Her grip loosened.
Her head fell gently against Dakota's shoulder.
"Takoda!"
Dakota's voice rang through the orchard, instantly shattering the peaceful silence that had surrounded them only moments before.
Lily stared in frozen disbelief for the briefest of moments before frightened tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Takoda!"
Sharath and Dimitri were already hurrying toward them, while Amelia and Sera reached the pavilion only seconds later. Kneeling beside Dakota, Sera immediately took hold of the little girl's wrist, her fingers searching anxiously for a pulse while the others watched in breathless silence.
Several agonizing moments passed before she finally looked up.
"She has a pulse," Sera said, relief and concern mingling uneasily in her voice. "But she's unconscious."
Dakota scarcely heard the words.
